4 Signs You Have the Wrong Managed Service Partner

When was the last time you evaluated your company’s IT services? If you’re like many busy executives or business owners, you probably established a contract with a managed service partner months or even years ago and haven’t updated it much since.

But your company’s IT needs are always evolving, and it’s important to make sure your managed service partner is providing the value it should. Ask these four questions to see if you have the right partner in place – and if not, how to make changes to get back on track.

Do you see eye to eye?

When you work with an IT partner, you want to share a clear vision of your key objectives. Can you describe the top three priorities your managed service partner is focusing on this year? Are you in contact frequently about action steps and results? Do you feel your concerns are heard and addressed by their team? If you answer “no” to these questions, it’s a warning sign you may not have the right partner.

What value are you getting?

The partnership with your managed service provider is only successful if it creates value for your business. An effective IT partner tracks key performance indicators (KPIs) and delivers regular reports to show progress over time. If your provider isn’t transparent about KPIs or shies away from discussions about concrete goals, you should be skeptical.

Are you receiving the solutions you need?

A great managed service provider gets to know everything about your business: what you do, how you operate, what your pain points are. They should be able to deliver customized solutions that fit your company’s unique needs. Be wary of a provider that doesn’t care about your specific requirements or tries to sell you generic services that aren’t a good fit for your business.

Do you get enough support?

Pay attention to the level of support and the response time of your IT partner. Do you often find problems with the services they provide? When you get in touch with them, do your calls and emails go unanswered for long stretches of time? Tech problems happen – even with the best of providers – but it matters how a provider addresses them. Your business deserves an efficient, accurate, and responsive managed service partner.